The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 02/15/2021 - Best of the Herd

Episode Date: February 15, 2021

Colin is back and he explains the most impressive thing about Tom Brady after winning his 7th Super Bowl. He also shares why Russell Wilson is finally speaking his mind for this first time in his NFL career. Plus, Super Bowl Champion Trent Dilfer joins the show to tell Colin where JJ Watt will play next and if the Rams are a better team with Matthew Stafford as their starting quarterback.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The story I've told myself can then shape my behavior, and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection. This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast Deeply Well with Debbie Brown.

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Be sure to catch us live every weekday from 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1. Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Herd. This is the best of the herd with Colin Cowher on Fox Sports Radio. Here we go on a Monday. Certainly great to be back. Live in Los Angeles, this is The Herd, wherever you may be, and however you may be listening, Fox Sports Radio,

IHeart Radio and FS-1. I was off last week. May have seen the social media accounts, a little bit of a health scare. I'm fine. Joy Taylor is quarantining. She is undisclosed location. She is joining me live.

How are you, Joy? It looked great today. It's great to be back. Good to see and hear your voice this morning. How are things? I'm great, and we are very happy to have you back, Colin. We missed you. And we didn't get to have our Super Bowl show.

Me and Nick did it, but obviously everyone wanted to hear your thoughts on the Super Bowl. So we're very happy to have you back. It's great. One hour from now, Colin Wright, Colin Wrong. So my first show back, I'll probably be rusty. But I thought this morning, and I'd like to thank all the people that said wonderful things, I live in Los Angeles, grocery stores, car washes, wherever I went. People could not have been kinder.

Thank you so much for that. I'll wear the rust off a little bit today. But I did want to spend just five minutes talking about the Super Bowl because I didn't get to talk about it. And you know I love football. It's probably 65% of my show. So I watched it from a hospital bed. I took notes. swear to God, I'm that big of a dork.

So, you know, as I watch that so much of what we do, not just me, but you, we watch sports, and then we observe something, and then we have an opinion on what we observed. And as I sat there watching it from a hospital bed, sweating, it's part of the medication, notes, no distraction, I'm fascinated with Tom Brady. And I always have thought he's a great leader, but it's beyond that. There's a lot of great athletes, lots in all sports. There's a handful of great leaders. And then there's this inspirational thing that you can't quite quantify,

where, you know, it's the you don't want to disappoint somebody. Brady has the rare ability to play poorly in stretches, three interceptions, second half at Lambo. And he never loses it. He has an ability to not be the most important person in the game. Super Bowl, it was the front, defensive front for the Buccaneers, and yet he never loses it. That so much of what Brady does is hard to quantify, is that he has the ability, and I grew up watching a lot of great broadcasters, and I always thought Oprah was the best at this. Not only was

Oprah great at what she did as a broadcaster, but she curated other broadcasters through her network, and she actually inspired her audience. She was the first person. And she was the first person, Ellen did a good job to take the baton from Oprah to kind of inspire her audience. Brady did something with the special teams in Tampa that's hard to fathom. You watch football, I watch football. For the last decade or more, Tampa's special teams have been a tire fire. But yet in the playoffs, off and on the road, they were really strong. Tampa's offensive line, as Tom joined the team this year, was middle of the road.

Nobody thought they were elite, yet they went to Green Bay, Kansas City. They were a dominant unit against the Chief's defensive line. Ali Marpet's a guard, went to Hobart, came out 12th best guard, 13th best guard, 12th best guard. After Quentin Nelson, is he the second best guard now? Tristan Worf's was the highest graded a player right tackle in the Super Bowl. Ryan Jensen the center. Who's better at that position than him? That offensive line was middle of the pack last year.

I'm not blaming James Winston. I'm saying is Derek Jeter was a great leader, but he couldn't take a 265 hitter and have him hit 300 in the playoffs. LeBron's a great leader, but he never could make Kyrie Irvin a great defender. Tom Brady made Tampa's offensive line a powerhouse. He took their awful, unreliable special teams and down the stretch made them a strength. So that's beyond leadership to me.

That is inspiration. And so few do it. And Brady has the ability to play poorly in stretches, to not be on the field for long stretches, to not be that important individual games, and yet he is inspiring other players. Scotty Miller, a wide receiver, was on with Nick Wright last week

and discussed this very thing. Right away, we just saw his competitiveness and his work ethic. I always say that it's just a testament to who he is. He's outworking. He's done everything you could possibly do in the sport. Everything you could dream of doing, he's done it, the best ever do it.

And he's still out there at 43 years old. I think he is outworking, everybody. But then as far as that fiery side, I mean, we saw that right away, even with us, when we weren't running the right route, just getting on us, but in a positive way, too, because he wants to get the best out. He wants to get the most out of you. This was not a talent story. And to prove it, go back to week 13. Nobody would argue what I'm about to say, including the Buccaneers. There was a lot of turbulence until about week 12 or 13. Nobody thought this was a Super Bowl team in week 10, 11, 12.

Then they had a buy. From that point, that late season buy, they went 8. No. Dominant offensive line. Better than average special teams. Run game. So in that moment when they finally, no preseason, they finally got Tom in season for 10 days of practice and inspiration.

It totally changed the football team. Of course they weren't good in September, October. They had no preseason. It wasn't until they got a buy at the end of the year or near it. And Tom could teach and mentor. That goes beyond leadership. And so much, you always hear stories about people only use 10% of their brain with rare exceptions. You hear stories about people can lift a car or lift weight.

That's not about leadership. You're being inspired by something. Maybe it's fear. Maybe it's the fear of losing a child. Maybe it's the fear of gaining something. Whatever it is. When I sat in that hospital bed and I watched that game, so much of what we all do with football is watch,

observe, and comment. And so much of what Brady does is not on television. You can't quantify it. And you're going to see all these teams. There are going to be so many teams. Rams with Matt Stafford. I watch the Bears go pay for Carson Wentz, and the Jags are going to draft Trevor Lawrence,

and they think it's going to be this magic elixir. It's going to solve all their issues. And they may be better at quarterback. But the big arm and the mobility and all the hype, I can see all that. What Brady does, I often can't. All right, so I was off for just a week, and Russell Wilson is largely known as kind of born,

He always says the right thing. You know, Russell Wilson is one of those guys. It's always, you know, whatever's best for the team, go hawks. And then I took a week off, and he turned into Howard Stern. He's like Mr. Controversing. So he was going on multiple platforms and talking. And he's on with Dan Patrick last week. I think this is late last week.

Here's Russell Wilson and opened up a whole Seattle can of worms. I think that ultimately, for me personally, I think that I want to be able to be involved because in the end of the day, it's your legacy, it's your team's legacy. It's, you know, it's the guys you get to go into the huddle with. And at the end of the day, those guys, you got to trust. Are you involved in personnel decisions? Have you been involved in personnel decisions? Not as much. I don't, you know, I think that, you know, for me. Do you want to be involved, Russ? Yeah, I think it helps. I think it helps to be involved more. But I think that's, that dialogue should should happen more often.

Okay, we've got stories now. Russell Wilson, I can tell you this, isn't happy with Pete Carroll. He likes his teammates, he likes Seattle, it's a Pete Carroll thing. The offense is outdated. Analytic people for several years now have rolled their eyes at the Seahawks offense. That's not my opinion. I've had three different Seattle players tell me they feel like they're running a 1980s offense. Since the death of Paul Allen, Pete Carroll has unquestioned power, in my opinion,

it's a lobsided franchise where the coach has too much power over the playbook, has too much power over his quarterback, has too much power over the franchise, and too much power over John Snyder. The offensive line has been suboptimal since they traded away Max Unger, a very talented center. And Russ doesn't believe he has given the respect he deserves. and the bigger issue is, let's say Andy Reid, it was struggling with Mahomes. Andy Reid could still point to that offense to go, look what I'm doing. When Bill Belichick and Brady had their prickly moments, Belichick's defense was still great. What is happening in Seattle is the offense is outdated, but the defense is no good, and that's Pete's specialty.

in the last five years Seattle's defense has gone from 5th to 11 to 16 to 26 to 22nd and too often Russell Wilson feels like a life preserver for a franchise that can't stop anybody and what you're having now and I will say this it is a little bit of a Tom Brady effect

because Brady wins the Super Bowl you've got two things happening teams are now saying oh all we needs a quarterback just give us Carson Went and Matt Stafford and that's happening. But here's the second thing that's happening. Guys like Russell Wilson are saying,

the hell. Look at Brady's defense. Look at Brady's weapons. Brady went out and he got Gronk and he got Leonard Fernette. Brady clear, Antonio Brown. So you got two things working here with Russell Wilson, who's a top five quarterback. You got teams looking at what Brady did

and they want to upgrade it quarterback. That'll solve all our issues. San Francisco's like 26 and 6 with Garopolo. Get rid of that bum. We'll never lose another game. Be careful about that. Similarly, I do think you have Aaron Rogers, Russell Wilson, and others, maybe to Sean Watson,

looking at the New England situation saying, Tommy's getting a little saying personnel and look at Tommy's weapons. And look at Tommy's defense. And he got Fernette and he got Grunk. And he got A, B. It's the Brady effect. And I think a little bit of that is happening with Russell Wilson, who feels like, listen, man, I don't get any say on personnel.

I don't get any say in the playbook. I don't get any say on anything. Do you guys just see what happened in Tampa? I think a lot of this, I think the timing is interesting. It happens after Brady wins a Super Bowl. And Russ is saying, time out. You got Deshawn Watson. I think I'm better than Deshawn.

He's forcing a team's hand. And you got Tommy got personnel say, I got no personnel say. So I think the timing here is very interesting. I don't think. I think Russell Wilson needs to be authentic. He's falling into a little trap of being Andrew Luck. And I'm glad he came out on Dan's show and other shows and had strong opinions. You've got to be authentic about this stuff.

If you're unhappy, say it. But here's the situation in Seattle to me. I think Pete's got too much power. Pete doesn't want to relinquish it. And Russell Wilson has earned the right to say more than Gohawks. He is no longer this plucky, small, unique third-round pick. He's a top five quarterback in this league running an outdated offense who has virtually no say. And I'm not saying they've got to be Tampa Bay with Tommy, but he deserves more than he's getting.

I think this relationship has gotten more strained as Russell has gotten higher paid and has more power, and that is making some people like Pete Carroll less comfortable. I don't think this is a great relationship. I don't think Russell Wilson is going to get traded. I've been told he's not going to get traded, but it's fluid. It's imperfect. It's turbulent. It's not great.

But I'll go back to this, and I really believe it. Why now? Why Russell talking now? It's the Brady effect. Tom went, Tom had power, Tom played GM, Tom almost coached, and Russell's saying, I want a little bit of that. I'm not saying I've got to have all of that, but I want a little bit of what Tom's getting,

because I think I'm in his class, and I don't think he's wrong. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all,

embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the Eye Heart. Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what y'all saying.

Yep, that's me, Clivert Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment,

and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or we're wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes,

follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. American soccer is about to explode. The World Cup is coming. Ramos sending on to Ernie. Score at the chip. I'm Tab Ramos.

I'm Tom Boe. On our podcast, inside American soccer, you'll get the real storylines. I'm not worried about Polic. I'm not worried about Balagan. I'm not worried about McKinney. My only concern is what happens in the back.

the biggest decisions. If you're going to look at stats and numbers, he has no shot at making this World Cup team. And the truth about the U.S. national team. It wouldn't be a huge surprise if our team ends up in the quarterfinals or potentially a great run into the semifinals. The World Cup is almost here.

Experience it all with us. Listen, Inside American Soccer with Tom Bogart and Tab Ramos on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcast. Hey, I'm Deanna Maria Riva, actress, mother, lover and a Gen X woman walking through life one hot flash and hormonal crying jag at a time. You ladies know what I mean.

I'll bet you a perimenopausal chin here you do. So let's talk about it. Join me on my new podcast. How Hard Can It Be with the Adamania Arriva, where I call on my Gen X squads from Ohio to Hollywood as we navigate Midlife's most fantastic BS. All of a sudden, I'd had hanginess happening on my own. I was like, what the hell is that? I was married when I had her.

so I didn't even consider how empty that nest was going to be. Mood swings, night sweats, fupas, sex drive. Wait, what sex? Dating at 45. How hard can it be? How can it be? Getting naked at 50 with the new guy. That one's kind of hard, you know?

Well, that's lighting. They say we can't polish a turd, but we're sure going to try. So let's get blunt with laughs, tears, or tears of laughter, and dive into it, unfiltered and unbothered and ask, how hard can it be? I cannot believe I'm about to say this out loud in public. Listen to how hard can it be with the Anna Maria Riva, as part of my Cultura Podcast Network,

available on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Momentum's a real thing. It's hard to explain. Somebody I known him, Kevin Wilde. He's on first things first. He's a writer, producer, a comedian. Now he's on the air every morning with Nick Wright and the fellas.

And General Wolf. And he had his theory years ago. He said, you walk around New York City. It was the crowded bar theory. He said, nobody wants to watch. walk into an empty bar. You're with your girl, you're with buddies. There's no, there's no juice. There's no energy. He said, if I owned a bar, I would have a curtain. And on slow nights, I would close the curtain, shrink the bar to make it look more crowded. And then as people poured in,

because people want to be part of momentum, they want to be part of a party. They want energy. They want juice. And one of the things that you're seeing like Tampa do is that all of a sudden they created juice, they created momentum. Oh, here comes Brady and Grong and Leonard Fernett. People want to be part of that. Athletes want to be part of that. Matt Stafford chose the Rams because he didn't feel the juice or the energy with New England.

He said, I don't want to go to New England. I want to go to the Rams. They're deal makers. Jalen Ramsey, Aaron Donald. They go, they're deal makers. Sometimes you have to create momentum. People want to be part of cool things. So J.J. Watt is now on the market.

He gave up 17 mil. I'm done. Green Bay is where he should go. I don't know if it's the best schematic fit, but I know that Green Bay needs to create momentum. They're like a bar stool missing a leg. There's three ways you can create great teams. Tampa used all of them. You can draft.

And then there's trades. And then there's free agency. But we know Green Bay OAS sounds interested and they say they're interested, but the Packers history tells you they'll build through the draft. They're the bar stool missing a leg. You can't have Farvin Rogers for 25 years and two Super Bowls. And the reason is they've got to create some momentum here and go for it. And if you've got to overpay a little, just do it.

The Rams are aggressive. Seattle's aggressive. The Saints are aggressive. Tampa Bay is aggressive. Jerry historically. Jerry Jones is aggressive. Philadelphia sometimes to a fault has been aggressive. You're passive.

Even in your draft last year, Tampa's draft was, they went and got a rookie safety in Tristan Worf's and it was a now draft. Let's get players now and win now. And Tampa got a quarterback who won't play in a running back because our running backs are going to be free agent in one year. It was a later draft. It's time to do stuff now. It's time to create Green Bay some momentum where,

talented, cool people want to be part of it. Take the dockers off, dip into your 401K. Green Bay does so many things right. They live below their means. They put money away. Sometimes you got to go on a cruise you can't afford. You got to book first class tickets to London way over your budget. You got to live a little.

I was just talking to a friend the other day. He's taking his family to Hawaii. He goes, we spent way too much North Shore. or Hawaii for the house. I said, no, you didn't. I said, what you don't want to do is get there and look at the family that's no better than you, and they're on the beach and you're seven rows back. That's a lousy vacation. Nobody ever vacations on the beach in Hawaii and goes, you know, I could have saved money. Yeah, the kids are surfing. I got a luow. I could have saved $400. Nobody thinks that. Go for it. You'll figure out a way to

make it work. J.J. Watt is perfect for the Packers. He does fit in need. And remember, Aaron Rogers now is 37. He's not interested in you drafting later players. He wants what Tom's getting, now players, in the draft and in free agency. Grunk doesn't have much left, but he had enough left to make a big catch in the Super Bowl. I think you owe it to Aaron, you owe it to now. I think you have to symbolically it matters, motivationally it matters. Be cool. Be the cool bar. Don't walk past Green Bay and always feel like, yeah, not a lot of juice. It's a well-run bar. The drinks are solid.

They make enough money to sustain themselves for 20 years. Don't you want to be the bar once in a while where the party's going on? Go get JJ Watt. Okay, he's a Hall of Fame lock. He's made his money. He wants to play there. A couple years ago, Peter King was interviewing him. They had these inter-squad games.

The Texans in Green Bay were going to play like a game a couple days later, a preseason game or something. and they had an inner squad practice. Here was JJ Watt, Wisconsin kid, talking about it. I don't get overly emotional for too many things, and today was one of them. I mean, I literally have looked through these fences as a kid and watch practice, watch Brett Farr practice.

I've seen the bike tradition. I've stood outside the gates by the players lot and tried to get autographed. So for me, this was literally a dream that I've had since I was a little kid. And so to be able to walk out on these practice fields and playing the shadows of Lambo, field. It was pretty special.

He's a Packer. By the way, PFF, top seven at his position in the NFL. Every year he's been in the NFL, he's been top 10 at his position. He's had some injuries. He's kind of expensive, but here's the reality. PFF, seventh best player at his position. Go get him, make it happen, create some momentum. Please, have that third leg to the bar stool just once. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays at noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Here we go, Colin right, Colin wrong. Where Colin was right? Well, when JJ Watt a couple of weeks ago said,

he didn't know about his future in Houston, I said he's a perfect packer. And the story this morning, second-best Las Vegas odds, the Green Bay Packers to land J.J. Watt. He's from Wisconsin. He's got his money. He's a first ballot lock Hall of Famer. Question is, JJ, do you want to win games?

This is where you should go. He's got a Packer personality. It's a perfect fit. The Packers only really pay big boy money to Aaron Rogers and David Boktiari. And from what I read this morning, they are restructuring or have restructured Bactiari's contract. So there's a place to get him in. We felt this was the landing spot. And what do you know a week later?

That's the report. Where Colin was wrong. Bruce Ariens won a Super Bowl. And I said, I thought he had a very so-so regular season with Brady. I thought they stuck to that pass over the top offense too long. And I also said, I felt in the playoffs, he was the coach on the hot seat. It was just a year in which I didn't feel he had it all buttoned up. But I'll give him a lot of credit.

In four total playoff games, they averaged only four penalties a game. And some of the biggest mistakes, like Brady Interceptions at Lambo, are things he could not control. I thought they out-coach Kansas City in the Super Bowl. I thought it was a win not just for personnel in the front office and Brady, but a win for coaching. And Bruce Ariens deserves that credit. Where Colin was right. Josh Allen finished ahead of Patrick Mahomes a week ago in MVP votes. Now, he didn't win it, but I was on this all year.

If you go to the last five games of the regular season, a third of the season, the last five weeks, Josh Allen wasn't just sort of better. than Patrick Mahomes. It wasn't close. He had 15 TDs, two picks, 70% completion percentage, and 117.5 passer rating. He was a dominant quarterback over the last five weeks of the regular season, and Mahomes, frankly, struggled down the stretch often. Where Colin was wrong. I never thought Russell Wilson would be one of the most outspoken quarterbacks in the league, but last week when I was off, he did intimate to Dan. Patrick, he would like to have some personnel say. He was outspoken. It was not status quo. For the record, I was critical of Andrew Luck too often taking the company road. I do think

it's important from time to time for the star quarterback to say, hey, let's go get this guy. And as Albert Breer just pointed out in the Super Bowl, it was all those Brady guys scoring the touchdown. So it surprised me. I'm glad to be wrong. I think Russell Wilson has earned the right to a strong voice. Where Colin was right? We're going to take one final credit for Tom Brady. There were a lot of people that thought he was a shot fighter. A lot of people thought he would struggle. We made two big predictions. We said New England is going to be a non-factor and irrelevant. They were sub-500. And we said Brady's going to get to the playoffs and win a playoff game one minimum. And he did. And I didn't think they'd win the Super Bowl. But there were a lot of critics on Brady. And I always

went back to the same thing. When I watched him throw the football, I still think he has a top seven, eight arm in the NFL. In fact, I think he has one of the better bad weather arms. It's his torque. It's his hips. But, yeah, I, listen, there are things with age. He clearly doesn't want to get hit as much. He throws more balls up for grabs. He's, he doesn't. He needs to be on platform. He needs better protection now that he probably needed seven or eight years ago. But I never bought into a shot fighter. I still think he throws a beautiful, accurate football, sometimes, in fact, with too much zip. Where Colin was wrong.

Lamello ball is not only surviving, he's the best rookie so far by a mile. Since Charlotte named him a starter, he's averaging 21 a game. And there actually right now would be a playoff team. When I saw him, I thought his game was a lot of flash and not a ton of substance. But I will say this, of the ball brothers,

he can actually shoot. He brings much-needed energy and juice to the franchise. And listen, he's averaging over 20 a game as a starter. He plays with a ton of confidence. He's obviously great off the dribble. He's a great ball handler and passer. But I was wrong. Where Colin was right.

Justin Herbert won rookie of the year. I didn't get all the critics. I understood people who thought, you know, at Oregon, you know, he can be a little mechanical. But after he won the Rose Bowl and was easily the best player, on the field against an excellent Wisconsin defense, I said, folks, what are we doubting? He's big, strong, four-point students, smart and mobile with a huge arm. I don't get all the critics. I don't get it. Plus, I had two people at the Senior Bowl tell me he was head and shoulders better than anybody else on the field. He set a rookie touchdown pass record, and he finished the season strongly.

And this is one of the things I like about him. You know, one of the criticisms of Lamar Jackson is he's kind of fresh and new and you haven't defended him, but you can figure Lamar out. Fair or not, that's a criticism. You can kind of figure him out. Justin Herbert got better with a coach that got fired. He was 4-0 down the stretch, eight touchdowns, one pick. Every week he got better, finished stronger than he started. Where Colin was wrong. New rule, I hate backward hats, but apparently now you're allowed to wear one if you win your seventh Lombardi trophy. Listen, I think it's the worst look for a professional athlete. It really looks like a frat boy, but Brady wore it. Now, in fairness,

Brady was a couple of beers in and appeared to be drunk, so his judgment was completely lapsed. This was not a great moment of judgment and clarity for Tom Brady. But new rule, if you win a 7th Lombardi trophy, I'm not going to call you out. Where Colin

was right? You know who suddenly is red hot in the NBA? Let me think. Oh, the team Chris Paul is on. The sons of one six straight, nine of ten, and it's the same team last year that was mostly lousy before the bubble. It's Chris Paul and a bunch of kids. He is the most underrated point guard ever. He's the most underrated NBA player in a decade.

He's the anti-Westbrook. He wins everywhere. He's got no flash. There's no sizzle. His best friend isn't the basketball. He actually communicates at a level that's about as high as NBA stars do. He holds people accountable, but for some reason, because he shoots too many mid-range jumper, and he's not flashy. There's something about Chris Paul that just people can't get their arms around. We like our point guards to be magic and flashy, but he and John Stockton win games, make everybody better, and it's amazing. Remember, Oklahoma City was tanking. He got him to the playoffs. Phoenix has been lousy for eight years with all these same guys.

Now suddenly they've won nine of 10 in the West. Chris Paul. I don't care if you buy his shoes or not. This guy is what point guard should be. Tough, verbal, intense, elevates others and shoots a great mid-range jumper. Where Colin was right? Been saying this now for three years. Trevor Bauer chose the Dodgers over a New York team.

Matt Stafford said, Give me Los Angeles over the Patriots. Something is happening in sports. over the last three years, where players are choosing this high-taxed maven, this high-taxed zip code, Los Angeles County, and they're choosing it overwinning franchise and other big cities. Trevor Bauer could have chosen a lot of teams, and he chose the Dodgers, a stack pitching staff, where he'll be good, but they've also got Walker Bueller, Rio, Clayton Kershaw, David Price. They've already got arms everywhere.

they've got stars everywhere. Matt Stafford, I'll take the Rams. Multiple teams were offered. So there is a migration to Los Angeles right now. We know that sports and entertainment have converged. I think a lot of this goes back to. People saw LeBron James move to Los Angeles and get movie deals and TV deals

and production setups and other athletes think, hey, I can pay more in taxes, but I'll make four times the money event. because I can build things here post retirement. I think there's a LeBron effect here. LeBron has set up so many ancillary businesses. It's highly attractive to high-profile star athletes. Trevor Bowers and Dodger.

The Dodgers right now pitching staff is an all-star pitching staff. Forget their lineup. It has to have a chance to be the best baseball team in 10, 15 years. One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Within the IHeart Radio app, search heard to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games.

Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win.

I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, CliverTaylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment,

and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes,

follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Will Ferrell's Big Money Players and IHeart Podcast presents soccer moms. So I'm Leanne. Yeah. This is my best friend, Janet. And we have been joined at the hips since high school. Absolutely. Now a redacted amount of years later,

we're still joined at the hip, just a little bit bigger hips, wider. This is a podcast. We're recording it as we're. We tailgate our youth soccer games in the back of my Honda Odyssey with all the snacks and drink. Sidebar. Why did you get hard seltzer instead of beer? They had a bogo.

Well, then you got it. Do you want a white collar or something here? Just hit it. What are y'all doing? Microphones? Are you making a rap album? Oh, I would. I would buy it.

Cuts through the defense like a hot knife through sponge cake. That sounds delicious. Oh, you're lucky I'm not a drug addict. You are. I'm not an alcoholic. You are. You're lucky. I'm not a killer. I love this team, and I'm really trying to be a figure in their lives that they can rely on.

Oh. Listen to soccer moms on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. American soccer is about to explode. The World Cup is coming. Ramos sending on the Army Stewart. I'm Tab Ramos. I'm Tom Boe. On our podcast, Inside American Soccer, you'll get the real storylines.

I'm not worried about Polisic. I'm not worried about Balagan. I'm not worried about McKinney. My only concern is what happens in the back. The biggest decisions. If you're going to look at stats and numbers, he has no shot at making this World Cup team. And the truth about the U.S. national team.

It wouldn't be a huge surprise if our team ends up in the quarterfinals or potentially a great run into the semifinals. The World Cup is almost here. Experience it all with us. Listen, inside American soccer with Tom Bogart and Tab Ramos on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcast. Chicago's in a division with a big brother, Green Bay. And because of that, it always feels like the bears are chasing the Packers.

And I think that puts some institutional pressure on the Bears' front office. The Colts, by the way, have often been the big brother in their division. So it doesn't feel like they're chasing anybody. and I think they'll be more measured and patient in terms of what they would give up for Carson Went. So the Bears are in a weird situation. They got a GM and a head coach on the hot seat. The GM, Ryan Pace, what does he care about draft picks? I was like Bill O'Brien's last couple of years in Houston.

What did he care about draft picks? He had to win games where he was going to get fired. He got fired anyway. So in Chicago, I see an organization that would go for it, regardless of what they would have to give up for Carson Went. because they want to win games. Trubisky's a free agent. He's not coming back.

Nick Foles isn't much of a cap hit. They're going to be in go-for-it phase to keep their seven-figure jobs. The Colts are different. The Colts feel like, hey, Sam Darnold, we got Jonathan Taylor, we got the best offensive line. There's no alpha in our division we're chasing. My guess is Chicago gets it based on some of the things

that aren't just football things. They're the reality of chasing a big brother in a division. And the Bears always feel like they're chasing the Green Bay Packers. And with that, Trent Dilfer, decade and a half in the NFL, was in six playoff games in his life, five and one in those playoff games. You know, it is interesting because when you were in Tampa, Tampa was, you know, I covered it. It was kind of a mess as an organization. And sometimes when an organization doesn't have great history or people's jobs are on the line, they're much more willing to go for it. And where the Packers or the Colts, as you know, Trent, they've had

success. It can drive you nuts as a player, but they're not chasing anything, right? So I kind of feel like Chicago is going to go all in on this thing. Do you think Carson Wentz is worth two first round picks and spending that? Do you think he is? I don't. I agree with you 100 percent, the psychology of this situation. In fact, all this quarterback carousel is fascinating. I think you're right. I think Chicago has to panic. They have to knee-jerk react to this. They will probably offer more than they need to to get Carson Wins, where you nailed it perfectly with Indy. There's some other good quarterbacks out there that they probably feel just as good about. You mentioned Sam Darnel, when you have the infrastructure that the Colts have, the

offensive line, the runner, the skill position guys, the offensive staff, you're not going to panic. You're not going to make a knee-jerk reaction and give up too much for a player that does have a high ceiling. I'm with you. I think the bears have to. They're the little brother in the division. They have to make this type of splash hire for two reasons. One, they've got to be relevant again. And you said it. They got to save their jobs and draft picks for Ryan Pace aren't as important because he knows he's got to win right now or he's out the door. You know, I said this about J.J. Watt. I do believe symbolism matters and momentum matters. And it's the old crowded bar theory. Nobody wants to walk down the street in New York with your wife and go into a bar

where there's nobody in it, right? You want some juice. You want some energy. You want fun, right? You want to be part of the cheers bar. Everybody's got a good joke. And so I look at Green Bay and I think they can use a little momentum. Tampa feels like right now, oh my God, I'd take a pay cut and go play in Tampa.

I got no state tax. The weather's good. Brady's rolling. Look how good Fernette did. And I don't like people reacting to other teams, but I do feel like Trent. Green Bay needs to create a little inertia here, right? I hate agreeing with you on everything you bring up, but I'm on board with you here as well.

I think Green Bay has to overspend, make a splash-free agent acquisition. I think with all the stuff that came out at the end of the season, with Aaron being disgruntled with certain things, I think you need to add momentum. You need to be part of the off-season conversation. You're not going to be part of this off-season conversation as it relates to quarterbacks,

and that's going to dominate now to the draft. and post draft. So interject yourself in the conversation with a JJ Watt signing with another splash free agent signing. Go out, go outside your comfort zone. The Packers haven't done this typically. Why can't you do it now? I don't think you're this

close from getting to a Super Bowl. You know you've got to beat Tampa. You're going to need some difference makers and I think JJ Watt can be that difference maker. Were you surprised last week that Mr. Gohawks, Russell Wilson, was actually outspoken on personnel

offensive line. It's not his personality type. I can theorize why I did it, but were you surprised, Trent, he did it? I was because he had such a great relationship with the organization and you kind of don't air your dirty laundry out to the public after the season. He must be really, really upset.

And I think he's justified to be upset. I was surprised that he went public with it. I mean, think about if you're Russ. You know, he went from cooking. and the first four or five weeks of the season, he's the clear favorite for MVP. He's putting up numbers that are making our jaw drop. Defense is struggling,

and then all of a sudden, they kind of transition back to bully ball, try to get the defense to play better. All of a sudden, he goes from cooking to being putting in the freezer drawer, turn around and hand the ball off on first and second down all the time, having to play on third down without a great offensive line. He's watching what's going on around the league

when Tom Brady has more weapons, as his disposal, they knows what to do with a great young offensive line. And you got to be sitting there going, wait a second, why isn't my team doing this for me? So I can understand why Russell's upset. Now, I love Pete's formula. I don't think he's wrong for doing this, but the quarterback isn't going to be the lead dog all the time. And that happened. We saw that happen mid-season where they made a definitive shift from being quarterback-driven,

offensive-driven, to going back to being defensive-driven and run the ball more and really take the ball to Russell's hand. It's interesting. I was talking to a friend the other day, and he said, listen, he goes, you media guys are getting all fired up on Matt Stafford. He says, but he's not an overly mobile quarterback. He is a pocket guy. That's what Goff was. He's been banged up.

Forget about the insinuation was, we've always sort of understood until Brady, it takes two years. You get into a system, you get comfortable in a system. It becomes rote. You don't have to think about it. This idea, that Matt Stafford solves a dilemma, my friend pushed back and said, well, show me the wins. Like, why are you guys all into this?

So what's your takeaway on that? Yeah, I think it's both. I think both things are. I mean, one, we just saw a unicorn, right? We just saw a total aberration in Tom Brady going year one with no OTAs, with no summer football, with a bunch of new people, take them to a championship. That's not going to happen with anybody else. However, I do think Stafford brings an element that your friend isn't recognizing.

And that's his ability to play in conflict. Jared really struggled in conflict. When it wasn't right, when it wasn't on rhythm, when the pocket wasn't right, he struggled. Stafford's made a career out of putting up big numbers under conflict. And you don't have to be mobile. You just have to be comfortable in conflict. And I bet you that is what McVeigh and the rest of the personnel department saw with Stafford. is the upgrade theirs.

They don't have to be right all the time, and Stafford can make them right. I love Jared Gop. I think he's going to do really well over time in Detroit, but I do think if you're the Rams, you're trying to get in this mix right now, right? You're looking at Green Bay, you're looking at Tampa. You're saying those are the teams.

Then I do think Matthew Stafford gives you a little edge in trying to compete with those two teams because of how he deals with conflict. So the Super Bowl's done. It's in the books. I was surprised. I didn't think they'd win at Lambo. I thought it was a win for coaching.

I want to talk specifically about the offensive line because I said, when you look, as you will know, from the days you were there, Tampa Special teams have been a wreck and they've never had a great O line. This offensive line was kind of a bunch of guys. Jensen's a good center. Worf's was a rookie. It was just guys. A year ago, eight months ago, we were like, God, is the offensive line good enough for Tom?

And then I watch them in the playoffs and I'm like, oh my God, it feels like a dominating unit. What does Brady do either pre-snap situationally? What did he do to elevate this unit? Because I thought their last three games, they were a dominant offensive line, and they were not in September, and they were not last year. I think there's a couple elements to it. Number one, anybody that devalues the X's nose and the NFL doesn't know what they're talking about. Yes, willies and Joe's are important, but X's and O's going along with those willies and Joe's is what makes them reach their potential.

And I think there was a definitive change for the box of what they did up front. They went from trying to do everything to only a few things really well. Started with the run game. They really simplified the run game. They ran a lot of inside zone, a lot of duo, and then versions off of that. So the offensive line got to do the same things over and over and over. And then they added a really, really robust play action pass game. off of those base runs to keep the protection assignment simple.

And then the past game, you asked me what Brady does, he makes subtle little changes to make sure they have help. So when you call a pass protection, and so you say we're sliding left, well you can slide left or you can slide semi-left and give your guard center a little more help if you know the edge defender isn't coming. So how he manipulates the protections at the line of scrimmage so that they have help.

They also added some tight ends and backs in the side of the defense and backs inserting on their way out for some help, thumbs and chips and things like that to help out the tackles and inside players. So it was a definite plan from the coaching staff and Tom Brady to make sure that the offensive line was going to go from struggling to thriving late in the year. And they did it through X and O simplifying some things

and all getting on the same page. And it's really the way Great Offensive Lines roll. When Great Offense Lines get on the same page, you maximize each player on that offensive. line, they start playing better together because they're practicing the same stuff day in and day out. Now by mid-season, end of season, you're rolling and they're thinking each other's thoughts. And you talk to any great offensive line when they start thinking each other's thoughts. They have their own little offensive line language when they start speaking their offensive line

language to one another and reading each other's minds. They become a great unit and that's what happened with the bucks. Good stuff, Trendel. for, you know, the next six weeks for us are slower in terms of sports. The NFL ends. We got about six weeks before free agency. And, you know, it's funny, Trent. I wrap a bow on the NFL season because I didn't talk last week.

And I look at it, and it's always been a copycat league. But I do like the increased power of the quarterbacks, voicing their opinions, the ability to move from franchise to franchise. You didn't grow up in this. I hate the franchise tag. I think it's awful for quarterbacks to get trapped. And I got to tell you, I look at this year, the year of quarterback empowerment, that's how I kind of see it, that, you know what? They get a voice, they get an opinion.

Maybe it was Tommy led. But that's kind of, when I look at the season, that kind of sticks to me. Is there anything wrap a bone at you that sticks out to you this year? I'm shocked the quality of football without the off-season programs, and I'll parlay what you just said. right there. I don't think you have to be done talking about the NFL. Park Avenue is still going to win up until the draft because all we're going to be doing is talking about quarterbacks. You'd rather talk about quarterbacks than the NBA or hockey. I'm pretty confident of that. You have Watson, you got Darnold's, you got Carr, you have Wilson now. Then you have four guys

in college football. They're going to be really good pros in Lawrence, Fields, Wilson, and Lance. So we're going to be talking quarterbacks and nauseam here for the next six weeks. It's not going away. and everybody's going to listen because everybody wants to know about the quarterback. Can I agree with you? They're more empowered now than they've ever been. Yeah, good stuff, Trent. Good seeing you. We'll talk soon. See you, brother.

Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel. Help an Acapella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter.

Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all,

embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put it, on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The story I told myself

can then shape my behavior and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection. This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast deeply well with Debbie Brown if you've been searching for a soft place to land while

doing the work to become whole. This podcast is for you to hear more. Listen to deeply well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. I'm Joey Dardano, and on my new podcast, Hope From a Hypocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with thoughtful solutions. Sike, I'm a comedian. I'm not qualified to give good advice.

Join me and my comedian friends as we riff, rant, recommend some of the most legally dubious advice. known to me. This is Help from a Hypocrite, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from a Hypocrite Wednesdays on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts.

This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.